Animal Research Ethics & Welfare Policy

Policy basis

Studies involving animals must comply with:

  • ARRIVE 2.0 reporting guidelines to ensure transparent, reproducible reporting; and

  • CPCSEA (Government of India) rules where applicable, including IAEC oversight; or IACUC-equivalent oversight outside India. Authors must follow the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) and humane endpoints.

Ethical approval and oversight

Before study initiation, obtain approval from the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) (India) or IACUC (outside India). Report committee name, approval number/date, facility accreditation (if any), and relevant housing/licensing details as required by CPCSEA/host regulations.

Welfare, housing, and procedures

Manuscripts must describe species/strain, sex, age/weight, source, housing and environmental enrichment, anesthesia/analgesia, humane endpoints, euthanasia methods, randomization/blinding, sample size justification, and exclusion criteria—as specified by ARRIVE 2.0.

Prohibited or restricted practices

APALM will not consider manuscripts that lack prior ethical approval, that unnecessarily duplicate animal use, or that omit adequate analgesia/anaesthesia without a scientifically justified rationale approved by the IAEC/IACUC.

Required statements (paste into manuscript)

  • Animal Ethics Approval: “All procedures were approved by the [IAEC/IACUC name], [Approval No., date], and complied with CPCSEA requirements (India) and the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines.”

  • Animal Welfare: “Animals received standard housing, environmental enrichment, and peri-procedural analgesia/anesthesia. Humane endpoints were predefined and monitored by trained staff.”

Submission checklist (authors)

  • Animal studies: IAEC/IACUC approval letter/number; ARRIVE 2.0 checklist completed and uploaded.